|
|
|
||
|
Course description
The course introduces the students to major contemporary ways of theorizing world politics. Each theory is examined in a nexus with a specific empirical phenomenon to stimulate the student’s analytical facilities. Aims of the course The students will get a grasp of the ongoing IR theoretical debates and learn to apply the theories and concepts to some of the most important issues of international politics and security. They will also improve their reading, writing and argumentation skills as they work on assignments and participate in class debate. Poslední úprava: Kazharski Aliaksei, Ph.D. (31.08.2024)
|
|
||
|
Structure of the course and readings Session 1. Intro session. Rules and requirements. Warm-up discussion Please, read the syllabus. Sessions 2. War, hegemony, power transitions: offensive realism and beyond · Mearsheimer, J. The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. W.W. Norton&Company, 2001: 1-54, 138-167, 267-272, 288-304. · Smith, N.R. and Dawson, G. Mearsheimer, Realism and the Ukraine War. https://doi.org/10.1515/auk-2022-2023 · Interview: Crouching Tiger: John Mearsheimer on Strangling China & the Inevitability of War. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXSkY4QKDlA
Session 3. Nuclear arms and deterrence: strategic realism and game theory · Quackenbush S.L. Understanding General Deterrence. Theory and Application. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011: 1-20 (Chapter 1) · Thomas Schelling. The art of commitment. In: Schelling T.C. Arms and Influence. Yale University Press, 2008: 35-92 · Coleman D.G. & J.M. Siracusa. Real-World Nuclear Deterrence: The Making of International Strategy. Praeger Security International, 2006: 19-43 (Chapter 2), 45-53 (Chapter 3), 55-72 (Chapter 4). · Yes, Prime Minister. Season 1, Episode 1. The Grand Design.[1] + Recommended movie: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/ [Optional] Session 4. Domestic politics and foreign policies: neoclassical realism · Schweller, R.L. Unanswered Threats. Political Constraints on the Balance of Power. Princeton University Press, 2008: 1-21, 69-84, 103-130 Session 5. International institutions and regimes: liberalism and rational choice theory · Keohane, R.O. (1998) International institutions: can interdependence work? In: Keohane R.O. (ed.). Power and Governance in a Partially Globalized World. Routledge, 2002: 27-38 · Keohane, R.O. (1990) International liberalism reconsidered. In: Keohane R.O. (ed.). Power and Governance in a Partially Globalized World. Routledge, 2002: 39-62 · Keohane, R.O. After Hegemony. Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy. Princeton University Press, 1984: 65-109 (Chapter 5-6) Session 6. Theorizing regional integration. Neofunctionalism, intergovernmentalism, post-functionalism · Schimmelfennig, F. Regional Integration Theory. Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Politics. Oxford University Press, 2018 · Braun, M. 2019. Postfunctionalism, Identity and the Visegrad Group. Journal of Common Market Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12994 Session 7. Non-governmental organizations and international humanitarian aid: neo-institutionalist organizational theory · March J.G. & J.P. Olsen. (1998) The Institutional Dynamics of International Political Orders. International Organization, 52: 4, 943-969 · Heyse, L. (2013) Tragic Choices in Humanitarian Aid: A Framework of Organizational Determinants of NGO Decision Making. Voluntas, 24:68–92 · Ossewaarde R. et al. (2008). Dynamics of NGO legitimacy: how organizing betrays core missions of NGOs. Public Administration and Development, 28: 42-53 Session 8. Norms, ideas, identities: social constructivism · Wendt, A. 1992. Anarchy Is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics. International Organization 46 (2): 391-425. · Finnemore, Martha and Kathryn Sikkink. 1998. International Norm Dynamics and Political Change. International Organization 52 (4): 887-917. · Ringmar, E. Identity, interest and action. A cultural explanation of Sweden's intervention in the Thirty Years War. Cambridge University Press, 1996: 1-16, 66-83, Session 9. Critical perspectives on international security. Securitization theory. Seminar 1 · Buzan B., O. Wæver & J. de Wilde. Security. A New Framework for Analysis. Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998: 21-70 (Chapters 2, 3) · Kazharski, A. & C. Tabosa. New patterns of securitization in Central and Eastern Europe. In: Turcsányi R. Q. & M. Vorotnyuk (eds.) Theorizing security in the Eastern European Neighborhood: Issues and Approaches. Stratpol, 2018: 60-81 Session 10. Borders, spaces, and regions: post-structuralism and critical geopolitics · Tuathail G. Critical Geopolitics: The Politics of Writing Global Space. Routledge, 1996: 16-43 https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=15633 · Moisio, S. 2007. Redrawing the map of Europe: Spatial formation of the EU’s Eastern Dimension. Geography Compas 1/1: 82-10 · Wolff, L. Inventing Eastern Europe. Stanford University Press, 1994: 1-49 (Introduction, Chapter One) Session 11. Seminar 2 [1] Available in Moodle. Please, watch at home. Poslední úprava: Kazharski Aliaksei, Ph.D. (31.08.2024)
|
|
||
|
Course requirements The students must read all the required literature listed in the syllabus. Reading is an absolute precondition of meaningful class participation. Students who participate actively in class discussions can be awarded extra credit points. The students will complete a midterm test which is based strictly on the required readings assigned for sessions covered before the midterm and will consist of closed questions (e.g., multiple choice). The deadline and the time limit are specified in Moodle. The students are responsible for ensuring a stable internet connection during the midterm and for completing the test before the deadline. The test will not be reopened after the deadline has passed. For seminars I and II, the students will be assigned to seminar groups by the lecturer. If one or more members of the group is refusing to cooperate or trying to free-ride, the lecturer should be informed ASAP.
The final exam has the form of a collective oral exam in the examination period. The students receive two questions checking the core topics of the course. Students then have a brief time to prepare their talking points. The two questions are then discussed in the student group, the notes are then shared with the lecturer who facilitates the discussion. The grade is awarded reflecting both the prepared notes and contribution to the discussion (both own points and the ability to respond knowledgeably to the contribution of others). Grade composition: Midterm test – 20% Seminars - 40% Final exam – 40% Poslední úprava: Kazharski Aliaksei, Ph.D. (31.08.2024)
|